In Another Life
by Samala90
Summary: RT AU. How was it that this man, this perfect stranger, who up until a few hours ago she’d never laid eyes on, was able to awake these strange feelings in her? Feelings that had since long been buried, or perhaps never before experienced until this moment
1. Prologue

**Notes: **_FINALLY!!_ I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about this story! This one has literally been in my head _forever_, and I finally got around to writing it!

This story does have a clear ending so I very much doubt it will be more than 10 chapters in total and hopefully and probably it won't be very long between the updates since parts of it is already written!

So sweet readers! I hope you enjoy this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it so far, and please review!

**Chapter 1: Prologue **

"_You promise you'll be back in three days?"_ Daniel asked, his sad eyes searching for those of his father for a confirmation of this fact. They were at the airport, saying their goodbyes and Daniel's face failed miserably in trying to disguise the sorrow and disappointment of the thought of not seeing his father for that whole period of time, the corner's of his mouth hanging down to his chin.

He wasn't used to not being around his dad. At the very most he'd spent one or two nights without him, sleeping over at uncle Seth and auntie Summer's, or at grandpa Sandy and grandma Kirsten's house if his dad had had to go on a short business trip out of town. But this was different, this was for three whole days and he'd never gone that long without seeing his dad.

It wasn't just the fact that he wasn't used to not having him around, but it was mostly because the date of his birthday was only four days away and he couldn't imagine not having his dad around for his birthday. The whole Cohen-Atwood-Roberts-Bullitt family would gather to throw him a huge party and lavish him with birthday wishes and gifts that any kid would die for. It was a messed up family tree that Daniel had since long decided to give up on trying to understand, but he loved all of them and viewed the entire clan as his family, and he always looked forward to meeting them.

But what Daniel looked forward to the most about his birthday was never the party or even the presents; it was the part that came after. His dad always took a few days off around the time of his birthday and they always traveled somewhere to do something big and special together just the two of them. Last year they'd been to Disneyland, and the year before that they'd gone on a two-day camping trip around Lake Tahoe, and this year, Daniel had no idea what his dad had planned. He wasn't so worried though because just spending time with his dad, no matter what they did together, was always fun, and as long as he got that part, he was happy.

But for that to happen, he _needed_ his dad to be back before his birthday or everything would be ruined. And this year was a big year for him: for the first time in his life, his age would be made up of _two whole _numbers and not having his dad around when that happened was just unthinkable.

Ryan stared into the eyes of his son, so similar to his own it was almost like looking into a mirror, his heart breaking at the very thought of leaving him for so long. He really wasn't happy about having to say goodbye to him now to go on some stupid business trip that was scheduled so close to his son's birthday, but his boss had finally convinced him by assuring him that he would be back well in time for the 18th.

Still, he didn't feel good about going away at all. And now he was just about to leave his son in the care of Summer and his brother which was always a bit of an adventure as they were a bit more pro the crazy and irresponsible than himself. He knew he could trust them, that wasn't the real issue. He was just a little overprotective of his son and he was always anxious when he was away from him. And now, saying goodbye to his son on Seth's and Summer's doorstep, knowing that he would be away from him for a longer period of time than he ever had before… well, it was safe to say that he was _way_ more broken up about it than his son ever possibly could be.

"_I promise I'll be home for your birthday," _Ryan swore gazing deeply into his son's eyes, knowing that that was what worried him the most. _"Even if it means I'll have to steal a car to get here in time."_  
_  
"You can't do that! That's illegal!" _Daniel had exclaimed, suddenly his voice raised in panic. This caused Ryan to smile. He was proud that his son was so big on the morals that he wanted to be a lawyer just like his hero; grandpa Sandy. But he also found it quite amusing that his son had yet to come to the age of fully understanding sarcasm. Even after all this time with Seth, he still hadn't quite figured it out.

But even Ryan's smile couldn't stop Daniel's now full-blown panic attack as he continued in a high-pitched voice: _"You could end up in prison! It's really, really horrible in there, and there are mob bosses, and they have all these scary tattoos and nicknames and…- "_

Ryan raised an eyebrow in astonishment at first, wondering where the hell his son had gotten that information, then the surprise was exchanged with an obviously sour expression as he suddenly realized the answer to his own question.

_"SETH!"_

His brother had taken a step back to give the father and son some alone time together, but now he stepped forwards to them, fake innocence plastered all over his face. _"Yes?"_

"_Have you let him watch Prison Break reruns again?!" _Ryan glared, anger apparent on his face.

"_Educational purpose?" _Seth tried to excuse himself. _"They say learning about prison life is the best tool in crime prevention." _

"_He is NINE!" _Ryan yelled.

"_Ten next week," _Daniel reminded them both, trying to smooth things over. He was used to their arguments and didn't think too much off it since two minutes later they'd be laughing again, but still he wanted to protect Seth a little, as he'd been cool enough to let him watch Prison Break in the first place, so he continued: _"And it was nothing, aunt Summer covered my eyes at all the scary parts."_

Summer had finally made her way over to them and Ryan turned to her mostly in bewilderment as he asked her: _"Since when do _you_ watch Prison Break?" _

"_Hey, have you seen that dude who plays Michael Scofield? I mean, he is HOT."_

Ryan just shook his head. Summer might be an avid environmentalist these days, but some things obviously never changed. He muttered something under his breath about the meaning of responsible babysitting, and then turned to his son again.

"_I was only kidding, I'm not going to steal a car," _Ryan assured him, casting a sideways threatening glare at Seth.

"_Wouldn't be the first time," _Seth snorted, only to receive another scowl from Ryan.

"_Hey, I'm just saying!" _he defended himself, hands up in mock surrender.

However this only confirmed that Seth's word had been true. Daniel delighted at this new piece of information about his father's life pre the Cohen's. His dad had in no way kept his dark past a secret from his son, but he still didn't like talking about it and had never gone into details with him. And whenever Daniel would ask him about what life in Chino had been like and what he'd done to land himself in juvie, he would just receive an evasive answer. His dad would always bend his head down, muttering something about being young, poor and stupid and doing bad stuff that he'd known was wrong.

Daniel knew that nothing his father could say would ever change the view of him or the way he looked up to him; in fact it would probably just make him admire him more, knowing how responsible his father was these days, and what a long way from that rough life he'd come. But just like any child, he was curious and therefore he'd since long decided that he was going to solve the mystery of his dad's murky teenage life, since everyone he asked seemed to think that he was still too little to actually learn the whole story. Daniel would always roll his eyes at this: he was almost _ten_ after all. But at least Seth's little slip about stealing a car was another clue to the mystery.

Ryan glanced at his watch with a sigh, knowing it was time to wrap things up, but already his heart was aching at the thought of not being able to see his son's face for so long.

"_Danny, I really have to go now," _he said, a sad smile spreading across his face. _"But I promise I'll be back in just three short days."_

"_It's okay," _Daniel said, smiling bravely, _"I have school anyways and Seth's promised to take great care of me so you don't have anything to worry about." _

"_Oh well, that's comforting," _Ryan muttered sarcastically. _"Just… don't let Seth convince you into doing something too crazy, okay? And if he says anything about yakuza-movies or Matrix or X-men, promise me to put your foot down and just say no. And if he's rambling so much your ears feeling like they're going to fall off, just call him Magnum PI- that always gets him to shut up."_

Ryan finished the last sentence with a devilish smile and Summer was cracking up laughing behind them.

"_Oh come on, that is so not fair!" _Seth protested, apparently not amused at all by Ryan's words. _"You can't bring up the pubertal nicknames!"_

Ryan laughed at this. _"You had it coming."_

Daniel's brow was furrowed in confusion, not let in on their inside joke, but still noted the nickname for possible future need.

"_And Seth…," _Ryan continued in a low voice full of authority. _"If I come home to find his arm in a cast like the last time I let you watch him… Let's just say that when Kid Chino has done his part, a lot more than just your arm will be wrapped up in bandages."_

"_What happened to an eye for an eye? You can't mess with the words of Moses!"_

"_Hey, Atwood, not to break up your sentimental hate-love moment with my husband…," _Summer finally interrupted their bickering, _"…but don't you kinda have to go to security now so you don't miss your flight?"_

"_Yeah, I do," _Ryan nodded, well aware of the fact that he would have to run to get there in time, but it was a trade he'd been willing to make in order to get a few more minutes with his son. _"And Summer, I trust you to keep an eye on them, 'cause you and I both know how they get when they're together."_

"_Oh don't worry Atwood, I have it all under control. When things get out of hand, all I have to do is threaten them with my rage blackouts and two seconds later they're sweet like little bunnies," _she smiled proudly.

Ryan chuckled at her words, then turned towards his son for a final hug. _"See you soon, buddy."_

And then Ryan jogged off to the security check, feeling anxious. Not just about leaving his son… but something different. Like change was in the air.

The thought upset him since usually in his life change didn't mean good change. But then he shrugged it off, deciding that he was being ridiculous. It was just a little trip for three short days. 72 hours.

What could possible happen in 72 hours that would turn his life around?

--

"_You still waiting?" _he asked her without even once looking up from his papers.

"_Yeah…," _Taylor smothered a sigh. Yes, she was still waiting. Officially, she was waiting for the cab she'd called for over 20 minutes ago, but really, she felt as if she was waiting for something else… Something different.

Her entire life, she'd never once lost sight of what she wanted. She'd made up a plan and then stuck to it. The life list she'd made up her senior year of high school had read something like the following:

1) 3 years at the Sorbonne in France

2) Mastering in English Literature at Columbia University

3) Work as a book editor at a publishing company

4) Meet a nice guy and get married

So far; she'd succeeded on all accounts and fulfilled each aspect of her guide to a perfect life. She'd gotten her perfect college degree, she had the kick-ass job she'd dreamt of at age eleven when she'd for the first time read "The Great Gatsby" and she'd found the guy.

She and Dave had been married for nearly four years and he was everything anyone could wish for. Loyal, intelligent, kind, and ambitious he was a successful lawyer working overtime to be made partner and the _definition_ of a "nice guy"- the type you knew was eternally faithful and would never hurt you in any way. He was by anyone's standard a real catch. That had been Taylor's initial thought when they'd met at Columbia and started dating, and her view of him had never really changed.

So there hadn't been a doubt in her mind when a year after their first date he'd proposed, and then soon afterwards had gotten married. They had remained in New York and had quickly fallen into the routine of a life together and somehow since then, nothing had changed. They lived in the same apartment, had the same jobs, the same group of mutual, married friends, and the exact same routines. Besides a few respective business trips each year, everything was perfectly consistent. And she usually liked routine, so that was good.

Still sometimes, against her better judgment, she would dream of a little passion, like she'd always imagined as a little girl when devouring the collect works of Jane Austen. But all her hopes were in vain since there was never any surprises in their everyday routines: no dates, no real romance; only the habitual sex on Saturday's and the expected I love you's. And so maybe, a little part of her wanted more than that.

But then there was the other part of her, the bigger part, that knew that she was being ridiculous. She had everything she'd ever wanted so she should be more than happy; she should be overjoyed even, and therefore she cursed the doubts that had appeared out of nowhere maybe a few months back and that had lingered in her mind ever since.

Yet… she couldn't help but to feel that what she was waiting for was something she hadn't had in years: change.

A sudden sharp honk from outside awoke her from her daydreaming.

"_Guess that's my cue," _Taylor said, grabbing her purse and the briefcase that contained all the documents she would need for her super quick trip to the city of Angels.

"_How long did you say you were going to be gone?" _Dave asked her, still rumbling through some papers.

"_Just over the day," _she informed him. _"I'll take the Red Eye back and I'll be home before 5 am tomorrow." _

"_Okay," _he nodded, now intently comparing two legal documents.

Taylor dithered at the door. Waiting, _hoping, _for him to get up and kiss her goodbye, for him to do _anything_ unexpected really.

"_Love you," _she finally said with her hand now on the door handle, but still staring at him, still hoping.

"_Love you too," _he replied absentmindedly as she left, not once looking up from his papers.

**Review!**


	2. The Airport

**Note:** I am so thankful for the kind reviews I recieved for the first chapter of this! Here is the second installment; a little bit of a filler-chapter, but I hope you like it anyways! The next chapter will be up very soon, and that's where the story will really start to take off. In the meantime, enjoy this, and please leave a review once you are done reading... Reviews make me happier than anything!

**Dedication: **Shary, this one is for you. For your enthusiasm for this story, for being a great friend, and for just being you… All I can say is that I am so happy and grateful to have you back in my life, even though I guess I messed things up the first time around by going MIA. I don't ever want to make the same mistake again because you mean way, way too much to me. Here's to second chances… Love you! xoxoxo

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Airport**

She'd always loved airports. The sense of knowing you were about to go someplace different, the exciting buzz of the people coming and going to locations all over the world… It was usually enough to make her tingle with exhilaration at the very thought of it.

She'd caught the bug of traveling at an early age, accompanying her mom for business trips all over the world, and she'd immediately fallen in love with the different cultures, the people, and the languages…

But since Veronica's priorities when picking vacations spots only included sun (to improve the already perfect tan), ocean (to watch the muscular life guards), and name-brand hotels (to make everyone jealous as you brag), Taylor had usually never gotten around to the places she'd dreamt the most of seeing.

So when she'd been a teenager and had picked up a hobby in scrap booking, she'd made a scrapbook of places she wanted to visit. Filling it with magazine clippings and googled images of fascinating landmarks like the Great Wall of China, the Coliseum, the Egyptian pyramids, the Panama canal… she'd made a promise to herself that one day she would see them all.

But time was not her own these days. Between all the work she did and her everyday routine, time was scarce. The longest amount of vacation days she'd had in a row over the past few years could all be counted on one hand, and therefore her dreams of seeing all the corners of the world remained just that: dreams.

Yet always when she was at an airport in matters of business trips, she would close her eyes and maybe just for a second, pretend that instead of going away to Texas or Atlanta, she was off to China, or Korea or Austria…

So yes: normally Taylor loved airports and the feelings they awoke in her.

_Normally_. But these conditions were anything but normal. It wasn't normal for a large airplane going to Los Angeles to suddenly have to make an emergency stop at a tiny, private airport in the middle of nowhere because of some weather issue. She wasn't liking this at all; if that flight didn't take off soon enough, she would miss her potentially career-making meeting.

And therefore, instead of the normal excitement, the only feelings that rumbled inside of her at the moment as she yelled at the receptionist by the desk were anger and annoyance.

* * *

He'd always hated airports. The crowds, the masses of people chattering nonstop, all the waiting… All of it just got on his nerves. And just the thought of airports reminded him of that night where a car drive to the airport ended in instant tragedy… A memory he wasn't at all happy to relive. He didn't want to give it another thought, and shrugged the image of it out of his mind, trying to force himself to think of something else. _Anything_ else.

At lack of something better to focus on his eyes started studying his surroundings. Outside the thunder was rumbling and the rain was smashing so heavily on the windows that it was impossible to see anything of the outside world. The airport was small, but overly crowded by people talking in small groups of three or four. They were all gathered waiting for the final verdict if take off would be possible or not, and the atmosphere they made out was so tense it seemed he could've touched it. Even the receptionists behind the desk seemed anxious as they made phone calls and whispered between themselves; as if they knew bad news might soon have to be delivered.

Ryan sighed at this. He was already annoyed. The Chicago Midway International Airport from where his plane had been supposed to lift off had experienced technical difficulties, so he and his co-passengers had been driven off to some small, country-side airport 40 miles outside of the city, and now hours later, here they still were, waiting.

The three days he'd spent in Chicago had gone very well. The negotiations with Meyer-Brown Design about a future collaboration had gone very well, and Ryan's boss Jacobs had been very content with the progress. He'd even gone so far as to hint words such as "more responsibility, pay raise, and promotion", but Ryan also knew Jacobs enough not to think too much of this. Business wise, it was impossible for Ryan to be anything but pleased with the days that had passed, and things seemed to have gone well at home too. So far the only injuries mentioned over the phone were a twisted ankle and a broken lip, both which Seth had obtained after tripping over his own shoelaces while chasing Danny in the park.

But though things might have gone well, Ryan now wanted to see his son more than ever and was desperate to be home in time for his birthday party. So he really didn't have time for bad news.

"_WHAAAT?!"_

A shrill, high pitched scream suddenly sounded, echoing throughout the halls of the airport, piercing through the ear drums of every living species in the room. The yell was penetrating enough to break through glass, and it made Ryan's ears ring painfully.

"_Please calm down, miss," _he could hear one of the receptionist's plead in a soothing voice.

"_I WILL NOT calm down!" _the crazy shrill voice continued to yell.

Ryan seriously considered covering his ears, just like he could see a lot of other people doing. Yes; it really was that loud and annoying.

"_If that flight doesn't take off soon, I will miss my meeting, and then I might potentially lose my job. And if I lose my job, I will be REALLY pissed off. You might think this is me pissed off, but I promise, you haven't seen nothing yet! I will sue this airline and this airport for all they've got, you hear me?! And when they lose all their money, you'll see how much fun it is being unemployed!!"_

Ryan had by now done like everyone else around him and turned his eyes towards the freak show that was being played out for everyone to see. Debating the receptionist in a megaphone-loud manner was a very well dressed, seemingly rather young woman.

Her back was turned towards the receptionist's desk, but Ryan could see her standing in heels that looked impossible to walk in, emphasizing everything thing she screamed with giant, furious hand gestures. She wore a tight skirt that clung nicely to her tiny frame, matched with a thin, sheer blouse, and she carried her hair up in a tight bun. Her appearance immediately reminded him of the typical up-tight and stuck-up wannabe- Ivy League attending, spoiled brats that Harbor's halls had been overflowing with back in his high school days. And obviously, with the way she was yelling at the poor receptionist, her attitude was the same of those Newport brats as well.

"_Miss, calm down please," _the receptionist begged the woman desperately. Ryan couldn't help but pitying her for having to stand so close to the woman with the way her hysterical voice was able to squeeze the will to live out of any sane person.

"_Please, if you don't calm down, I'll have to call security," _she pleaded, seemingly for the final time before picking up the phone.

Ryan sighed. He knew the woman's type all too well, and he was usually praising his lucky star that he now lived in Berkeley where such people were a lot more rare. But after all those years in Newport, he also knew exactly how to tackle those people, a skill which the poor receptionist seemed to lack, so finally he gave in and walked over to them.

"_Is there a problem here?" _he asked them, and the receptionist gave him a grateful smile.

The angry woman turned to glare at him. Despite her apparent anger, Ryan noted that she had nice features, and might even have been pretty if she hadn't been so up-tight and her face so crinkled up in fury.

"_Yes, there is a problem," _she said with a plastered sarcastic smile, her voice sickeningly sweet, but at the same time dangerously threatening as if she could snap at any moment. Her behavior remembered Ryan strangely much of his sister-in-laws rage blackouts._ "The problem is that this nice young lady here behind the desk is telling me that because of the bad weather, my plane, which just landed here unrepentantly in the middle of nowhere, won't be taking off again until the storm is cleared! Until then, all flights are canceled! And considering that this is the worst storm of the year so far, who the hell knows when we'll be able to leave this hellhole?!"_

The gasps of horror sounded all around them. Of course, it had been impossible not to overhear the woman's panicky shriek, and it seemed that none of the people at the airport wanted to be there as they all started pacing and chattering aggravated.

However, Ryan didn't pay them any attention, because the only thing he could think about was his son, and the look that would be on his face if he didn't make it to his birthday celebration. _"What do you mean all flights are canceled?" _he asked the receptionist in a frustrated tone, almost equally upset as the woman standing next to him, just not as loud.

"_I'm sorry, sir, there just isn't anything we can do right now," _the receptionist explained apologetically._ "Until the storm is cleared, it just ain't safe to fly."_

"_Who the hell cares if it's safe?! I _have_ to get on a flight tonight."_

"_I'm sorry, sir, but that's going to be impossible. All air travels are prohibited in this region because of the weather."_

"_Fuck, fuck, fuck! Son of a bi-"_

"_Sir, watch your language, or I'll have to call security. There are a lot of children present, and you are scaring them."_

"_See what I mean?" _the angry woman asked, interrupting his cursing. _"I know you thought I was a psych ward breakout when you first saw me, or well, maybe more likely heard me, but I'm not really quite this… angry. But just like you, it's very important that I get back on my plane, and that's why I was yelling."_

"_Yeah, yeah," _Ryan muttered, not really caring, and wondered why she even bothered to explain. His instinct to punch something really hard or to snap something in two was slowly being replaced by a feelin_g of defeat. Desperately, but in a much nicer voice he turned to the receptionist once again. "There really isn't anything you can do?"_

"_I'm sorry, no."_

"_So we'll just have to wait here… until the storm clears. Whenever that'll be…"_ He said the words slowly, unable to comprehend them. He couldn't believe how close he was to missing his son's birthday. The thought just wouldn't sink in, and the guilty at just potentially seeing Daniel's disappointed face… It was too much to bear.

"_Yes, unfortunately. But look, these waiting seats aren't very comfortable and they'll get filled very quickly. Might I suggest this little motel just a mile from here where you could spend the night, getting some sleep. You look like you could need it." _Her eyes wandered from Ryan and the still scowling woman next to him. _"Both of you," _she clarified_. "I know being very tired can cause unwanted emotions like anger to take over your mind."_

Ryan and his neighbor both gave the receptionist an apologetic smile.

"_Where did you say this motel was again?" _the woman asked in a now friendly voice, trying to smooth things over.

"_Just ten minutes from here with car. There are several cabs parked just outside. The drivers will know exactly where it is. It's the only motel in town."_

"_Of course it,"_ Ryan muttered under his breath. He already hated this little town because of it's foul weather_. "Thank you," _he told the receptionist with a forced smile. He wasn't going to like this at all.

And as he entered one of the cab's in the parking lot, he couldn't help but to think that if he'd have to spend any more time with psycho's like the woman from the airport… then this was going to be the longest night of his life.

* * *

Make my day by hitting the little purple button and then typing a few words! Come on now... you know you want to!


	3. The Nest

**Note: **Okay so I know that I said True Love Waits was next on the update list, and it is my top priority right now, but this chapter was already written, and well I love this one too much not to post it. It was a pure joy to write, so I really hope you enjoy this...! And I'm a review whore so please leave your comments at the end once you're done!

**Chapter 3: The Nest**

"_This is it," _the cabdriver informed Taylor as he pulled up on a driveway and pulled the car to a halt.

The rain was smashing so heavily against the windows that Taylor couldn't see anything of the outside view, but she trusted the driver to know the route and to have taken her to the right place. Considering the size of the town, he'd probably driven here a million times and would know the roads like the palm of his hand.

"_Okay, thanks," _Taylor said, grabbing a few bills and handing them to the driver along with the few coins she had in her purse.

Naturally, she hadn't thought to bring an umbrella to L.A., and therefore as soon as she stepped outside the car, she was soaked right through. She quickly spotted a fading red neon sign that blinkingly read "Motel" 15 yards away, and rushed in the direction of it, as quickly as her Chanel heels would carry her.

Throwing the motel door open, she was horrified at the sight that met her once inside. Right by the threshold was a mirror, and after catching her reflection in it, she almost had a stroke. Her mascara and eyeliner were now on her cheeks instead of around her eyes, her hair hung in wet chunks around her face, and her once tight bun was dripping down onto her now see-through white designer blouse, revealing a pink bra underneath. Quickly, she brushed the make-up stains away with the back of her hand and simply decided that the rest of it would have to do.

Then she turned her attention towards the room, and nearly had a second stroke. Yellowing wall-paper, an orange velvet couch and gray drapes covering the windows, were just a few of the horrendous things that caught her eyes. For someone who'd taken a few interior design classes alongside her Literature major in college, it was appalling and for a few seconds all she could do was stare in horror. The she caught sight of another neon sign, this one green and spelling out the name of the motel.

"_They seriously named their motel The Nest?! What kind of people would do that?"_

That was when Ryan noticed her. She'd seemed to be talking to herself, but Ryan would've noticed that high-pitched, slightly crazy voice anywhere, and even though she looked a lot more like a drenched puppy than the put-together business woman from before, it was unmistakably the angry and annoying woman from the airport.

"_I mean, that is just… utterly repugnant," _she finished.

Ryan raised an eyebrow at her choice of words, and she seemed to notice for the first time that he was standing right next to her. The way she was eyeing him up and down indicated that she recognized him too, or maybe she was just wondering how he was completely dry while she looked like she'd tried to drown herself in a lake.

"_I'm a book editor, okay? I have a large vocabulary and therefore I like to vary my choice of words not only in writing, but also while talking," _she explained in a very fast pace. _"But naming a motel The Nest…it's still gross." _

She hesitated at the door for a second, as if the thought of sleeping at a motel named The Nest was too much for her to handle, and for a brief moment, Ryan was positive that she would turn her heel and walk out into the rain. But then she took a deep breath and walked up to the receptionist desk with determined steps.

"_Yes, hi, I'd like a room, please," _she informed the man behind the counter.

"_Me too," _Ryan hurried to say as he took a quick glance through the door window and saw several cabs pull up outside the entrance. He definitely needed to sleep, and the place didn't seem large enough to hold all the coming cab passengers.

The man behind the counter whom had seemed to be semi-sleeping just a few seconds ago opened his eyes slowly and his mouth flew wide-open in a yawn that flashed several severely damaged and coffee stained teeth. The woman standing next to Ryan had obviously never seen such poor dental care before and Ryan could see her lips twitching in a discreetly repulsed grimace. _"Name?"_ the man asked as he shuffled through some papers and stifled another yawn.

Both Ryan and the woman spoke at the same time, but their words were drowned by a sudden bolt of thunder right outside. Before either of them could repeat their names, a sharp flash of lightening just outside the window lit up the room for a few seconds, only to cause the lamps in the room to flicker and finally die with a faint pop.

"_Oh great," _she muttered under her breath.

"_It's probably just a broken plug, if I just replace it, the lights will be up and running again in no time," _the man assured her in a bored matter, but she obviously wasn't convinced and pursed her lips sourly.

"_How about our rooms?" _Ryan pressed on, noticing how the woman's initiative niceness began to fade.

"_Oh, you're not together?" _he asked obliviously.

"_NO!" _they yelled simultaneously, and quickly eyed each other up and down with obvious repulsion.

"_I'd never seen him before today. So he's not… we're not… I'm married," _she finished quickly, as if that explained everything. _"And we'd like separate rooms."_

"_Definitely," _Ryan agreed. The way she seemed to think that she was superior to him, and her obvious tendency to ramble on in that nervous, high-pitched tone was already getting on his nerves.

"_I'm afraid that that'll be a problem," _the man informed them, not sounding sorry at all. _"We only have one room left. And it only has one bed."_

"_I was here first!" _the woman exclaimed quickly.

"_Yeah, you were first at the desk, but I was first through the door," _Ryan put in. She scowled at him, so he scowled back. If she was going to play that game, he certainly wasn't backing out. He wanted that room, he _needed _that room, and if she was going to use child's logic to get ahead in the situation, then… he would just have to stoop to her level.

"_Look, I didn't see who got here first, so I don't know who to give the room to. Fight amongst yourselves." _With those words, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes again.

"_That room belongs to _me_," _she threatened, her scowl still obvious in the dark.

"_Oh yeah? I say it's mine," _he said giving her a sarcastic smile.

"_Look, I have a huge presentation tomorrow; I'm negotiating a potentially giant book deal and I need to get some sleep to be in my A-game by then and seal that deal or my boss might fire me,"_ she negotiated.

"_My son's birthday's tomorrow, and I promised him that we'd play catch as soon as I got home. If I don't get some sleep tonight I'll fall asleep halfway through the game and break my promise. How would that make you feel, knowing that the memory my son will have from his tenth birthday, will be that his dad failed his promise, all because of you?"_ He knew he wasn't playing fair, but he didn't care. He didn't have time to argue with her, he needed his sleep and his words were as true as any.

Another loud crash sounded from outside just as he'd finished his pleading, and even in the dark Ryan could see her forehead crease as she seemed to consider this.

"_I'm not gonna fall for the poor-child's-unfulfilled-birthday-wish trick,"_ she finally decided. _"I'll fight for this room with everything I have in me. Hands, nails, claws- whatever, I'll do it."_

"_I used to be a cage fighter. I could snap you like a twig."_

His words made her swallow hard once before she spoke. _"Well, you might be bigger and probably much, much stronger than me, but I have a brown belt in Tae Kwan Do, and skill always trumps strength."_

He snapped his fingers once. _"Snap. Just like that." _

Just then, they're scowling and threats were interrupted by the creaking sound of the front door opening.

"_Look, if you guys don't make up your minds right now, I'll give the room to them," _the man stated, nodding in direction of the soaked middle-aged couple that just crossed the threshold.

"_We could flip a coin," _she suggested, panicking.

"_Sure," _he sighed, surrendering. It was clear that they would never agree. He opened his wallet, but came up empty-handed. _"I only have bills. Do you have one on you?"_

She quickly rummaged the content of her purse. _"Shoot! I gave all my change to the cabdriver. I only have some Ben Franklin's and credit cards." _

"_Well that's just great," _he said, irritated. _"Why even suggest it if you don't have any coins?"_

"_Well I didn't remember that!" _she yelled under her breath so that the couple that was quickly approaching the desk wouldn't overhear their argument. _"And obviously, you didn't think of it either!"_

"_Last chance, or I'm giving it to them," _the man warned them, the couple now at the desk.

"_We'll take it!" _they cried alarmed in chorus and tossed a few bills on his desk.

"_Room number 3," _he said, stretching the room key towards Ryan, but she snatched it from his hand.

"_So I guess we'll have to share," _Ryan stated as she lead the way towards the room. He didn't have any energy left to fight with her and they'd both paid the same amount of money for the room, so he had every right to be there as much as she did.

She stopped outside the door marked with a golden "3" and heaved a deep sigh before turning towards him. This time she didn't scowl at him, but offered him an exhausted, yet rather sociable smile. _"I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot. I'm sure you're a decent enough person, and I'm usually quite a bit nicer than this myself. And if we're gonna share a room together, even if it's just for one night, it's probably a whole lot easier if we're not at each other's throats the entire time._ _I'm Taylor by the way."_

Ryan was a little surprised by her sudden friendly gesture, he'd figured she was just a plain, evil ice queen, but if anyone should know better than to judge a book by it's cover, it was him. And he certainly wasn't one to dismiss an attempt of truce so he reached forward to shake her stretched out hand. _"Ryan."_

She nodded, as if to memorize his name, and then opened the door to the room that they were to spend the night in. _"This is it?! Seriously?!"_

Still standing on the threshold and blocking Ryan's view of the room, Taylor's first thought was that it reminded her of a shoebox in size. The walls were draped in a heavy floral 70s pattern that matched the seemingly green carpet that covered the entire floor. Up against one wall was a cheap coffee table balancing a lamp, and right next to it stood the only chair in the room, from which some of the stuffing stuck out in odd angles. A dusty mirror and a few frames hung on the wall, and from where Taylor stood, she could barely make out any details, but they seemed to be holding outdated local newspaper clippings. A squared window about ten inches wide was the only link to the outside world, and Taylor was sure that she could spot cobweb hanging in one of the corners of the ceiling and shuddered at the thought.

Ryan rolled his eyes at her drama queen-moment; as if she'd expected a Hilton only to find a prison cell, but when she stepped aside enough for him to actually see the room, his reaction mirrored hers. _"We paid 150 dollars for this?!" _

Ryan, as an architect, was appalled by the design of the room to begin with. _What kind of sane person would construct a perfectly square, claustrophobically small room with only a microscopic window to match?_ he wondered quietly. He then eyed the outdated interior without giving it a second glance, but that was when he caught sight of what immediately became his biggest concern: the bed. Up against the right wall was possibly the smallest bed he had ever seen, probably constructed for dwarfs or tiny children to sleep in, and only so wide that a person would most likely have to lie on the side to not fall out of it. The thought of trying to get some sleep in the tiny, _tiny_ bed while at the same time sharing it with another person, and a very annoying and high-pitched person at that, was enough to make his head spin. _"Juvie was better than this," _he muttered under his breath.

Taylor seemed unaware of his comment as she closed the door behind them and her hand reached for the light switch, which failed to fulfill it's purpose of lightening the room. _"Naturally," _she mumbled, having expected nothing less from this place. The owner had probably gone back to sleep again instead of changing the plugs.

Her eyes turned to the three foot wide bed and she was unable to hide her distaste at the thought of sleeping on the lumpy mattress that laid upon it, never mind the fact that she would have to share the very cramped space with a 160 lbs stranger unless they could agree on a reasonable solution. She squirmed at the thought.

"_So, um…how are the two of us going to sleep on _that_?"_ Ryan asked the question that had been on her mind.

"_Well… since we're out of coins, rock-paper-scissors?" _she suggested and held out a fist, and he nodded, somehow buying into her childish logic.

"_1, 2, 3," _they counted in chorus.

"_Paper trumps rocks," _Taylor explained quickly, as if he didn't know the rules since childhood.

"_Best out of three?" _Ryan bargained, knowing it was a lost cause.

"_Haha, nice try, but I won. Yay!"_

"_Guess I'll take the floor then," _Ryan said and grabbed one of the pillows on the bed and tossed it on the floor right next to the bed. Thankfully, the air in the room wasn't cold, and the carpet that covered the floorboards was probably comfortable enough for him to be able to get a decent night's sleep, even if it wasn't in a bed.

He felt exhausted as he took a seat of the side of the bed to untie his shoelaces and removed his socks.

Somehow, unintentionally, Taylor's eyes got stuck watching him as he undressed. It certainly wasn't in her normal behavior to watch strangers undress, but then again, nothing about this trip was normal, and for some inexplicable reason Taylor just found it impossible to pry her eyes away from what she was seeing. It was like watching a train wreck in a way; she knew it was wrong, but she just couldn't help herself. _A very, very sexy train wreck, _she thought to herself as extremely inappropriate thoughts entered her mind.

Not even taking notice of her presence, Ryan unbuttoned his shirt to reveal masculine, well-defined abs that even in the dark unmistakably took the shape of a six-pack. With a yawn he rummaged through the dark duffel bag carrying his personal belongings and threw on a white wife beater, and Taylor couldn't help but to stare at his masculine, well-trained biceps and upper arms, making her toy with impossible thoughts of lying in those strong, secure arms. When Ryan finally got the point of removing his dark jeans, Taylor forced herself to look away to be able to control herself, only catching sight of the letters that spelled out "Calvin Klein" on his dark boxers.

Finished and completely unaware of the fact that a second ago Taylor had been staring at him undressing, Ryan noticed her dithering in the room, still wearing the exact same outfit and looking nowhere ready to go to bed.

"_Are you planning to sleep in _that_?"_ he asked her, emphasizing the last word in distaste as he gazed upon her drenched outfit. The 5 inch heels, the white, sheer lace blouse and the light gray pencil skirt that she sported really wasn't his idea of comfortable sleeping wear.

His sharp tone awoke her from her daydreaming, and suddenly she was annoyed. Who was he to give her thoughts like this when she had a husband at home? Tom was a very nice man, a stable, trustworthy, loyal companion, and this stranger had been nothing but rude to her since the very first time she'd laid eyes on him. He might have an attractive outside, but his impoliteness and unbearable attitude proved that his inside was anything but attractive. And he certainly had no right to judge her just because she hadn't brought any clothes to change since she was supposed to have made just a quick business trip, have one meeting and then go straight back to New York.

"_Why, yes, Ryan, that was my plan," _Taylor said in an overly sarcastic voice as she scowled at him. "_That was exactly my plan when I went from LAX today; that a freakin' thunderstorm would sweep across the sky, forcing my plane back to New York to land in this godforsaken town, and literally canceling all air-traffic, making it impossible for me to get back on a plan tonight, leaving me no other choice but to share a microscopically small single-bedded motel room in a place called The Nest with an arrogant, obnoxious stranger!" _

"_I…," _Ryan began hesitantly after her little outburst, trying to figure out the best words to say to tackle her obvious side of craziness. Words like insane, neurotic, self-centered, snobby and stuck-up were the first that came to mind, but for some reason, picking another fight with her didn't seem like the best idea. _"I just figured that it didn't look very comfortable, and since your clothes are soaked through you'll probably get cold, so I thought I'd offer you to borrow one of my t-shirts."_

Taylor just stared at him, completely startled by his sudden niceness, so much that it left her mouth gaping slightly open from the surprise.

Ryan wasn't fully sure that he was out of the woods yet, as her shocked expression gave away very few clues of what crazy neurotic thoughts were bouncing around in her head, so he decided to smooth things over further. _"I mean, it's not sweaty or anything,"_ he assured her. _"I washed it just before I got on the plane."_

It took her a moment to compose herself, but then she started talking as if nothing had happened. _"That would be… that would be nice. Thanks."_

He rumbled through the belongings of his suitcase and threw a washed out band T-shirt at her.

Catching it with one hand, she put the other hand on the door handle.

"_What are you doing?" _he asked her in surprise.

"_I'm gonna change," _she offered, this time in a friendly tone. _"The only bathroom in this place is down the hall, so…"_

"_Oh, yeah, sure," _he said as she stepped outside the door.

A few seconds later she was back though, still wearing her preppy business suit. _"The bathroom was occupied,"_ she explained with a grimace on her face. _"It sounded as if the couple from before decided to take their business elsewhere and were getting… frisky in there_, _so they're probably gonna be there a while. So I guess I can't change after all."_

"_Taylor, don't be ridiculous, you can't sleep in that. It will get all wrinkly and probably ruined. Just change here. I promise I won't look," _he assured her. He brought his hands to cover his eyes for demonstration.

"_Okay," _she agreed a little hesitantly. She definitely wasn't used to undressing in front of strangers. She usually didn't even undress in front of her husband! But the situation called for it, so she quickly unbuttoned her blouse and zipped down her skirt and then threw on the rather large t-shirt, which barely made it halfway down to her knees. She sighed, cursing the cellulites on her thighs, and then wondered to herself why the heck that mattered.

_This is just a stranger. Perhaps a very attractive stranger, but still just an unfamiliar face that you'll forget as soon as you step onto that plane tomorrow and get back to your husband, _she reminded herself as she folded her clothes to hang neatly over the back of the only chair in the room. Then she removed the rubber band that held her tight bun together so that her hair would dry. It fell down in messy, damp waves that she immediately tried to smooth out by running her fingers through them. _"Okay, you can look now."_

Ryan removed his hands only to be met by a completely different sight, one he was sure to be imagining at first. No longer did the up-tight, neurotic A-type business suit- wearing woman with her hair in a bun stand before him, but she'd been replaced by someone entirely different, someone who could only be described as beautiful. With her dark gold hair cascading in soft waves all the way down to her waist and her hazel eyes glittering in the dim light of the room, her face looked absolutely alluring, and because his washed-out t-shirt barely covered her thighs, it was impossible not to notice her impressive figure. Ryan blinked a few times, unable to comprehend just how _gorgeous_ she really was.

"_Journey, huh?" _Taylor asked, for the first time noticing the name printed across the t-shirt she was wearing, remaining oblivious to the way Ryan was still staring at her.

"_Uh-huh," _Ryan nodded, finding it difficult to tear his eyes away from the image in front of him and actually forming a coherent sentence. _"Best band ever."_

"_I guess they're alright," _Taylor admitted casually. _"If you're into the whole 80s rock power-ballads thing. Personally, I'm more into soulful stuff like Fiona Apple and Joni Mitchell, but that's just me."_

"_Okay," _Ryan replied without looking at her. If he didn't look at her, he convinced himself that he was going to be able to block out the image of her being a very, very sexy someone, and simply imagine her as the up-tight hair-in-a-bun woman she'd been when he'd first laid eyes on him.

"_Okay, not in the mood for late night small talk, I take it," _Taylor said, interpreting his few-worded mumbles as apparent lack of interest for what she was saying. _"You're tired, I get it, and I'll leave you to drift off into the world of dreaming."_

Outside the thunder raged, the rain poured and lightning bolts continued to momentarily light up the room. Ryan rested his head against the squishy pillow, worrying about whether or not he would be able to make it home in time to wish his son a happy birthday in person, and found it very hard to believe that he would be able to get any sleep at all lying here on the floor.

She climbed over him and hopped onto the bed, tossing around a few times in order to make herself as comfortable as she could on the lumpy mattress, before finally settling into a decent position. _"'Night Ryan."_

"_Good night Taylor," _Ryan replied.

And for some reason, some unexplainable reason that he had yet to understand, besides worrying about his son, all he could think about was the mysterious woman lying in the bed next to him. He was going over their encounters in his head, and found himself being fascinated by her, and the way he wasn't able to label her in any way. He was appalled by her insane yelling at the airport, impressed by the way she'd stood her ground when they'd been fighting over the room, amused by her crazy hysterical ramblings, amazed by her beauty and most of all intrigued to learn more about her.

She was a mystery; like an unsolvable, million-pieces puzzle and unlike anyone he'd ever met. And though he tried to deny it to himself, he knew deep down that he was saddened by the fact that he would never get the chance to know her and figure her out.

* * *

**Please review! It would make my day!**


End file.
